Apple Cinnamon Rum

The Apple Cinnamon rum is quite possibly the most popular of my infusions, and is certainly my favorite rum.

To make things even better, it is also one of the easiest infusions to make.

Ingredients:
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 750ml light (silver) rum

Seriously, that's it.

Tools:
• Vegetable peeler
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• 1Qt Mason Jar
• Coffee filter, cheesecloth, or mesh strainer
• Funnel

Pretty much your basic tools.

Directions:

Just like making pie

Wash your apple. This is to make sure it's free of any pesticides and things like that, but it is going to be peeled, so that's really a personal preference call. 

Peel your apple. The skin will add a hint (or more) of bitterness that really affects the flavor.

Slice your apple. You're trying to avoid seeds and core on this one, as they will both affect the flavor and could make your infusion slightly poisonous, which nobody wants. 

If you're doing multiple infusions,
don't forget to label.
If you label,  don't forget to spell check.

Break your cinnamon stick into a few pieces. I'm not sure if this actually does anything, but it helps foster the illusion that you're spreading your ingredients around. 

Place the apple slices and cinnamon stick pieces in the mason jar. Thank you Captain Obvious. 

Fill the jar with rum. Another obvious yet vital step. 

Let the sealed jar sit for between five days and two weeks. It doesn't take too long to get the initial flavor, but I've found it is worth it to age it those extra days. Feel free to taste it to see if it's ready, but remember that the flavor will be a bit stronger pre-draining. 

With the help of the funnel and your choice of filter, pour your infused rum back into the bottle. The flavor ingredients are large enough that a mesh strainer should be able to catch everything, unless you really went to town on the cinnamon. 

Note to self, classier bottles needed

Enjoy! I've found that it is perfectly enjoyable to sip this liquor on it's own, over ice, but if you really want to mix it with something, add a few ounces of ginger ale and you've got a drink that tastes like applesauce.